An abundance of spiders

[gregorach]

As someone who spent time living in Oz I can honestly say that no spider in the UK bothers me. They just reduce the number of irritating flying beasties.

Ha! I completely agree. All the spiders in this country are small and innocuous. It always amuses me when people claim to have seen a "huge" spider - maybe as much as two whole inches across!

 

[Dr Onion]

Maybe over on the east coast they are only 2 inches across but over here on the west coast, I can guarantee that they are the size of dinner plates, leap 20 meters at a time and shoot lazers from their eyes

I really need to stop eating random 'shrooms!

Dr O

 

[-Switch-]

Ha! I completely agree. All the spiders in this country are small and innocuous. It always amuses me when people claim to have seen a "huge" spider - maybe as much as two whole inches across!

You've not encountered a Cardinal Spider before then? I personally have only ever seen 3. Alot of people claim to have seen one when they've really only seen a large house spider. Cardinal Spiders a very rare and as such aren't very well documented. It's almost impossible to get information on them. They can get as large as 7 inches across (leg-span) although they never bite and aren't considered dangerous to humans.

Tube Web spiders (a type of funnel web), on the other hand, are poisonous. As are Cellar Spiders ( from the same family as the Black Widow).

It always amuses me when people claim we have no venomous spiders in this country. Saying that is like saying we have no venomous snakes.
We have no deadly spiders but we do have a few that are considered venomous to humans. If a Cellar Spider bit you you'd certainly know about it.

Admitedly, most of these spiders are only found in the South and South East so alot of people will never have seen them.

 

[Toddy]

Maybe over on the east coast they are only 2 inches across but over here on the west coast, I can guarantee that they are the size of dinner plates, leap 20 meters at a time and shoot lazers from their eyes

I really need to stop eating random 'shrooms!

Dr O

I got a h3lluva start when I found a male Atlas spider crawling up one of the kitchen cupboard doors :Wow: It was Huuuuge I thought it had come in with the fruit HWMBLT had just bought.
I've got a lot of these wee cute black and white striped, jumping ones, just now .....and no, you will never hear me describe a moth or butterfly as *cute* shudder.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[gregorach]

You've not encountered a Cardinal Spider before then? I personally have only ever seen 3. Alot of people claim to have seen one when they've really only seen a large house spider. Cardinal Spiders a very rare and as such aren't very well documented. It's almost impossible to get information on them. They can get as large as 7 inches across (leg-span) although they never bite and aren't considered dangerous to humans.

Tube Web spiders (a type of funnel web), on the other hand, are poisonous. As are Cellar Spiders ( from the same family as the Black Widow).

It always amuses me when people claim we have no venomous spiders in this country. Saying that is like saying we have no venomous snakes.
We have no deadly spiders but we do have a few that are considered venomous to humans. If a Cellar Spider bit you you'd certainly know about it.

Admitedly, most of these spiders are only found in the South and South East so alot of people will never have seen them.

No, never run into any of those... But it's still not like having redbacks in the bathroom, or finding a 12" huntsman in the kitchen cupboard...

 

[-Switch-]

Some information on venomous spider bites in the UK.

I've linked to the two I mentioned and the False Widow spider, but there's a whole list under 'spider bites'.

Tube Web Spider. (sometimes known as a 'Tunnel Web' Spider - like alot of animals, spiders can be known by several common names).
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/spiderbites/tube-web-spider-segestria-florentina.html

False Widow Spider
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/spiderbites/false-widow-steatoda-nobilis.html

Cellar Spider (sometimes also called the False Widow)
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/spiderbites/false-widow-or-cellar-spider-steatoda-grossa.html


Enjoy

 

[Simon1]

Yes after putting the Christmas tree back in the loft I noticed some odd looking webs up there only to discover I had some Cellar Spiders!
I am not scared of them but the problem is neither are my 2yrs old or 4yrs old.
Had to tell them without scaring them not to touch them if they see them in the house.
Not sure what effect they would have on little ones

 

[-Switch-]

Not sure what effect they would have on little ones

I'm not sure either. But spider bites in the UK are very, very rare. The Cellar Spider hardly ever bites and I don't think it's something to be worried about.

I've had a bit of a look and can't find any information on how an infant would react to being bitten. I'm assuming then that it happens so infrequently that it hasn't been recorded.

Besides, kids are kids. If you tell them not to do it, chances are they will

My Mum warned me against wasps when I was younger but it took being stung for me to accept that she was telling the truth.
A bite from a Cellar Spider would be slightly worse than a wasp sting and that's something every kid has at some point.

Like I said, I wouldn't worry about them.